Fireteam Zephyr

Fireteam Zephyr is a general-purpose, six-person team of UNSC Army troopers. As of January, 2540 they are stationed on Udachi, a classified lunar mining colony, where they are part of a regiment that defends the moon’s orbital defense generator.

Bio: Tarek Ayman is a calm, clear-eyed veteran of two major conflicts in the Human-Covenant War. He enlisted later in life than most. During the early years of the war he worked for a metals manufacturer on Reach and avoided enlisting due to a series of recurring nightmares he had about the war. Then in 2532, something happened that changed his mind.

Tarek fought with distinction during both of the conflicts he participated in; demonstrating a near-perfect blend of focus, initiative, adaptability, courage and caution. These qualities earned him rapid promotion to Sergeant and many of his superiors have been encouraging him to consider officer candidate school.

As a leader, Tarek commands the respect, loyalty and admiration of those under him almost effortlessly. He can switch from authentic camaraderie to operational leadership instantly and without undermining his own authority.

Bio: Quiet and intensely thoughtful, Milagros Apaza is an outsider and keeps to herself as much as possible. A widower from before the war, she harbors an intense hatred for the ODSTs, and has almost come to blows with them during the few times she’s seen them face to face. Milagros joined the UNSC only after seeing firsthand the devastation of the Covenant war machine, and during her training discovered a surprising aptitude for marksmanship. Ever since enlisting however, she has gradually sunk into a dark morass of self-loathing. Despite her aloofness, Milagros has developed an unlikely friendship with Hayden Williams, another outsider due to his extreme views.

Bio: Loud and abrasively opinionated, Hayden Williams is an enthusiastic participant in the Human-Covenant War.

Born on Earth, Hayden originally joined the Marines so that he could travel and see the galaxy. A clerical error enlisted him in the Army instead, but he stopped contesting it when he learned he would be stationed on Arcadia, a popular vacation destination.

Almost immediately after his deployment began, the First Battle of Arcadia broke out with the hostilities involving the now-missing Spirit of Fire. Arcadia was a UNSC victory, and witnessing the Covenant being defeated deeply affected Hayden. He does not carry the subconscious fear that they are invincible like many of his peers. However, the victory on Arcadia came at a tremendous cost in human life, a fact which has convinced Hayden that the UNSC is losing the war because they are not willing to spend the lives necessary to win. Naturally, this opinion has made him profoundly unpopular. Oumar Kouyate in particular clashes frequently with Hayden on the issue.

Bio: Friendly, open and brave, Derek Li is the kind of person you go to when you want an honest opinion. He tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, but is also quick to forgive grievances and let bygones be bygones.

Derek grew up the youngest of three siblings. The war broke out while he was still in primary school and both of his older sisters enlisted right away (one in the Marines, one in the Air Force). Not long after, his oldest sister was killed during the five-year battle for control of Harvest. Derek turned his grief into fire and doubled down on his studies in order to graduate a year early and enlist sooner. Even though he joined the Army and serves nowhere near his surviving sister, fighting makes him feel like he is doing something to keep her safe.

Unfortunately, Derek has a harder time coping during downtime, and has started ‘self-medicating’ with alcohol in order to cope with his loss and calm his own nerves.

Bio: Outgoing and always eager to meet new people, Eleni Greco grew up in a small city on Tribute. She loved playing football (soccer) as a kid and had dreams of doing so professionally. She played on all her schools’ teams and did well enough to be invited to play for a university, but with the Covenant War raging her conscience kept nagging her until she enlisted instead. She hasn’t seen much action in her three years of service; she’s participated in a few light skirmishes with insurrectionists but has never faced the Covenant on the field. She was transferred to Fireteam Zephyr when they were assigned to Udachi, where she has organized an Army football team at The Eagle’s Roost. They compete against Udachi’s Air Force team, as well as Marine teams when they are in-system.

Eleni is usually the most talkative member of her unit, but often struggles to find anything to discuss with Milagros. She often finds herself trying to smooth over the arguments that flare up between Hayden and Oumar. Tarek has taken note of her team-building, diplomatic nature and has started grooming her for squad leadership in the event that he decides to attend officer candidate school.